Closure assembly for a bulk container

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a power operated closure assembly, such as a hydraulically operated slide plate door, for the outlet of a bulk storage container for granular material. The drive unit of the closure assembly is detachable and the closure assembly is so arranged that with the drive unit detached the closure assembly may be operated manually. Removal of the drive unit facilitates maintenance and repair of the closure assembly.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,718,231 [451 Feb. 27, 1973 OConnor [54] CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR A BULK [56] References Cited CONTAINER V UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Invent: 0 Como" castlesland 3,386,203 6/1968 Butler et a1. ..22o/41x 3,142,410 7/1964 Arnold 220/41 [73] Assignee: Liam OConnor and Company Limited, Tonbwee, Castleisland, lreprimary n Knowhs land Assistant Examiner-Gene A. Church [22] Filed: Dec. 16, 1970 Attorney-Kurt Kelman 21 A LN 987 l l 1 pp 0 5 57 ABSTRACT V H it r t. t t t V, The invention relates to a power operated closure as- [30] F i A li ti p i it Data sembly, such as a hydraulically operated slide plate D 22 1970 I l d door, for the outlet of a bulk storage container for ec. re an ..1693 granular mated a1. The drive unit of the closure sembly is detachable and the closure assembly is so ar- W 4 ranged that with the drive unit detached the closure 51 rm. Cl...I:I333:2:122:33: "865:1! 43/12 assembly may be manual1y- Remval 58 Field ofSearch.-....' ..220/41; facilitaes maimemm and rePair 0f the 49 32 32 lClOSlllG assembly.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures DJ T A i l E :i 7 .ZZZZIZZIIZZ a 6.. 70/ 5 22 I? I (641 1 l j H H 5 ..:::.r :11; i 01! 7 l 5 1:12:11 11:11? l {T l 1 a i i W """7 5H7 5/ E a f k r CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR A BULK CONTAINER This invention relates to a closure assembly for an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet of a bulk storage container for granular or powdered materials.

A widely used closure assembly for the bottom outlet of a bulk storage container comprises an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet, and a closure member, usually a steel plate, which is slidable between a position which closes and one which opens the outlet. The closure member is mounted outside and below the downstream or delivery orifice of the outlet, all the edges of which are overlapped by the said closure member in the closed position. This type of closure assembly may hereinafter for brevity be referred to as the type described above.

In closure assemblies of the type described above, the clearance between the outlet orifice and the closure member is as small as possible consistent with the free sliding motion of the closure member in use. The closure member is usually supported by resting on at least one fixed rod or two rollers; two cylindrical rods are more usual, and the axes of the rods lie parallel with the direction of motion of the closure member in operation. This avoids the use of grooves, so that the outlet when open is a clean passage wherein the fed material cannot lodge or putrefy. The rollers or cylindrical rods offer no lodging place for the fed material, which merely falls past them.

Some of the known closure assemblies of the type described above can be operated by hand, and some are power-operated by means of a drive unit, but none is adapted for both methods of operation. In particular, none is so constructed that the drive unit can be removed leaving behind a functioning hand-operated closure assembly.

Power-operated closure assemblies of the type described above have several advantages over manually operated ones. Thus they will handle bigger loads and delivery rates, and may be remotely controlled with ease. They are therefore popular and widely used, but, unlike the hand-operated kind, they are subject to occasional breakdown and must then be removed from their working position for repair. The bulk storage container must first be emptied through an outlet opening and then remain out of action until the repaired closure assembly or a replacement is installed. This is uneconomic and has heretofore restricted the use of power-operated closure assemblies of the type described above, especially in the bulk handling of flour and cereal grain, because the industry cannot afford the stoppages consequent upon a breakdown. The relatively inefficient, underpowered and overrnanned hand-operated closure assemblies continue in use for these reasons.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the above recited disadvantages. It is a further object of the invention to permit hand-operation of the closure member of a closure assembly of the type described above to commence quickly when powered operation has become impossible or inadvisable.

The present invention therefore provides a closure assembly for the outlet of a bulk storage container for granular or powdered material, which comprises an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet, a closure member slidable between a position which closes and one which opens the outlet, a detachable drive unit adapted to slide the closure member into and between the outlet closing and openings positions, and means for sliding the closure member into and between the outlet closing and opening positions by hand following removal of the detachable drive unit.

The closure member is preferably a slide plate door, which is advantageously a rectangular plate, and the outlet is preferably of square cross-section.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the drive unit comprises a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder mounted in a frame which is adapted to be detachably secured to the outlet frame. The drive unit may be protected by cover plates secured to its frame.

The invention will now be illustrated by description of an closure assembly for an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet of a bulk storage container embodiment as given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of a closure assembly according to the invention, having one of its two cover plates removed.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the closure assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the closure assembly shown in FIG. 1, the end illustrated being the one remote from FIG. 3 in the drawing.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of the closure assembly shown in FIG. 1, taken along the line lV-IV in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5 and 5a repeat the view of FIG. 1, but with the assembly exploded into the detachable drive unit, FIG. 5a, and the outlet frame and closure member, FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, an outlet frame 1 is constructed from steel sections to define with its inner faces 3 an outlet 2.

The outlet frame 1 may be incorporated in a hopper or other bulk container to form the outlet thereof by bolt and nut unions passing through holes provided in the flanges 4 thereof, but not here illustrated. A closure member 5 is provided and comprises a rectangular steel plate adapted to slide into and out of the outlet and to closely underlie the under surfaces 6 of the outlet 2. The closure member 5 slides in the directions shown by the double headed arrows, and has a slot 7 which provides a grip for hand operation. The closure member 5 has welded to its lower surface a traction lug 8 with a bolthole. The closure member 5 is supported on two cylindrical steel rods 9 attached to the outlet frame 1, and can slide freely on those rods, which locate the closure member 5 in close proximity to the undersurfaces 6 of the outlet 2.

An end web 10 of the frame 1 is provided with an orifice 11 which is covered by a hinged flap 12 having a catch 13 to secure it in a closed position. The hinged flap 12 may be opened to allow insertion of a handle 14 having a terminal stirrup 15 with bolt holes which maybe lined up with the bolt hole in the traction lug 8, whereupon a bolt or split pin 16 is passed through the lug 8 and the stirrup 15 to allow the closure member 5, disposed about outlet frame 3, to be operated by hand, as an alternative to the use of the slot 7 for the same purpose.

A drive unit (FIG. 5a) comprises a frame member 17 fabricated from the same gauge material as the outlet frame 1, a hydraulic cylinder 18 firmly fixed therein, the hydraulic cylinder 18 having a piston rod 19 which projects outwardly of the drive unit through a hole 20 in the end wall 21 thereof and terminates in a stirrup 22 similar to the stirrup previously described, the stirrup 22 being operatively connected to the closure member 5 by means of the traction lug 8, when the drive unit is attached to the outlet frame 1 by bolts 25 passing through adjacent end walls or webs 21 and 23.

Appropriate gaps are provided in the end walls 21 and 23 to allow the closure member 5 to slide partly into the drive unit when retracted, i.e. open. A pair of cylindrical steel rods 24 is fixed inside the drive unit to afford support to the retracted closure member 5.

The drive unit (FIG. 50) may be detached from the outlet frame 1 by disengaging the stirrup 22 from the traction lug 8 and removing the bolts 25, whereupon hand operation of the closure member 5 may be carried out using the handle 14 secured to the traction lug 8 or using the slot 7.

Mechanical operation of the closure member 5 is effected by admitting fluid under pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 18 through an inlet valve (not shown) which in turn is actuated by electrical means controlled by a manually operated switch. A cutoff valve 26 stops the fluid supply upon completion of the opening or the closing stroke of the closure member 5, and the cutoff valve 26 is triggered in each case by one of a pair of micro-switches (not shown) located inside the frame 17 and actuated in each case by one of a pair of projections on the under surface of the closure member 5 and at each end thereof. The gaps in the end walls 21 and 23 must be of sufficient size to permit free passage of the said projections as well as of the closure member 5 itself.

One or more fixed longitudinal brushes 27 are positioned relative to the upper and lower surfaces of the closure member 5 so as to sweep the closure member 5 clean of dust and granular material during the withdrawal stroke of the closure member 5.

I claim: I

l. A closure assembly for the outlet of a bulk storage container for granular or powdered material, which comprises in combination, an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet, a closure member slidable between a position which closes the outlet and a position which opens the outlet, a closure member drive unit which is detachable from the closure member, and

operates to slide the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions, manually operated closure member sliding means which is operational on the detachment of the drive unit from the closure member, for movement of the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions, and one or more fixed longitudinal brushes positioned relative to the upper and lower surfaces of the closure member in the operative position thereof so as to sweep the closure member free of dust and granular material during the withdrawal stroke of the closure member.

2. A closure assembly for the outlet of a'bulk storage container for granular or powdered material, which comprises in combination, an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet a closure member slidable between a position which closes the outlet and a position which opens the outlet, a detachable closure member drive unit which comprises a piston cylinder mounted in a frame member which is detachable secured to the outlet frame and incorporates a compressed-fluid control valve to actuate the piston cylinder, and which operates to slide the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions, and supplementary hand gripping means for manually sliding the closure member and operational on the detachment of the closure member drive unit from the closure member, for movement of the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions.

3. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which the closure member is a slide plate door which runs upon, and is supported in both the outlet closing and opening positions by resting upon the lateral surface of one or more rods fixed in the closure assembly, the axis of each fixed rod lying parallel with the direction of operational motion of the slide plate door.

4. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the slide plate door runs upon rollers mounted in the closure assembly.

5. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which an orifice is provided in one wall of the outlet frame to handle means for manually sliding the closure member to be inserted through the orifice for operative engagement with the closure member.

6. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which one or more fixed longitudinal brushes are positioned relative to the upper and lower surfaces of the closure member in the operative position thereof so as to sweep the closure member free of dust and granular material during the withdrawal stroke of the closure member.

I t l i i 

1. A closure assembly for the outlet of a bulk storage container for granular or powdered material, which comprises in combination, an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet, a closure member slidable between a position which closes the outlet and a position which opens the outlet, a closure member drive unit which is detachable from the closure member, and operates to slide the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions, manually operated closure member sliding means which is operational on the detachment of the drive unit from the closure member, for movement of the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions, and one or more fixed longitudinal brushes positioned relative to the upper and lower surfaces of the closure member in the operative position thereof so as to sweep the closure member free of dust and granular material during the withdrawal stroke of the closure member.
 2. A closure assembly for the outlet of a bulk storage container for granular or powdered material, which comprises in combination, an outlet frame whose inner faces define the outlet, a closure member slidable between a position which closes the outlet and a position which opens the outlet, a detachable closure member drive unit which comprises a piston cylinder mounted in a frame member which is detachable secured to the outlet frame and incorporates a compressed-fluid control valve to actuate the piston cylinder, and which operates to slide the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions, and supplementary hand gripping means for manually sliding the closure member and operational on the detachment of the closure member drive unit from the closure member, for movement of the closure member between the outlet closed and outlet open positions.
 3. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which the closure member is a slide plate door which runs upon, and is supported in both the outlet closing and opening positions by resting upon the lateral surface of one or more rods fixed in the closure assembly, the axis of each fixed rod lying parallel with the direction of operational motion of the slide plate door.
 4. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the slide plate door runs upon rollers mounted in the closure assembly.
 5. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which an orifice is provided in one wall of the outlet frame to handle means for manually sLiding the closure member to be inserted through the orifice for operative engagement with the closure member.
 6. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which one or more fixed longitudinal brushes are positioned relative to the upper and lower surfaces of the closure member in the operative position thereof so as to sweep the closure member free of dust and granular material during the withdrawal stroke of the closure member. 